Goodmorning , we are currently restoring a 1915 wooden caboose at the Remsen Depot in upstate new york. She has the frame # 19509. The exterior is mostly done and now the interior work is starting. We have the blue prints of this series caboose which has been of much help. WE need more info or pictures of restored cabeese of this vintage. I have stained and polyed the new ceiling and rafters and love the look of wood. The interior side walls have been removed of paint and mastic material that served as a primer. Also I would like to know if this style caboose may have been retrofitted with electric when it went through shop repairs. We did have electric installed on this unit but it has been removed at this point. The caboose went through a repair in 1954 in Oswego as marked on the frame. Any input will be helpful to us .
Bruce

Bruce,

You might want to talk to the guys at Danbury Railroad Museum, in Danbury, Ct.

A few of the guys there are restoring an off center cupola wooden caboose. Theirs is #19322, which would put it in the same series as yours. IIRC the exterior is done and they are either almost finished or working on the interior.

Regards,

Rich C

Stain and poly? I've never seen a wood caboose that wasn't finished with paint before. Are you certain a natural stained wood with varnish is appropriate for this caboose? Passenger cars, sure......but this is a new one to me.

dave

Might even be of use to contact the folks at Steamtown. They have a restored Rutland caboose that was built to NYC specs.... If I recall the interior is painted. Maybe Howard P can chime in with a better history.

Dave Crosby

The last time I was inside an in-service New York Central wood caboose, I was rather younger than I am now, and was much more aware of the eye-catching "artistic decoration" all over the interior walls and ceiling, than I was of the interior paint. I do recall the car was painted in a light color inside, not stained and varnished. The decorations depected eye-pleasing curves of a far different form than streamlined Hudsons and E-units.

This caboose was on the "BN switcher", working the remnant of the old Putnam Division in the Bronx and Westchester. It was replaced by a PC steel transfer hack a few months later.

Howard P.
Perlman Green, NY

A number of years ago, one of our members discovered an old NYC "Big Four" caboose in a ladies back yard. Another of our members, Tom Travis, and I bucked through the snow one winters day to take a look at it. The outside was in bad condition but the inside was remarkably intact. And it was definitely PAINTED on the inside; light gray as I recall. Somewhere I have some photos and if I can locate them, I will confirm that color.

There was hope that the lady would donate it to the museum, but instead, she wanted a bundle for the car. Considering its overall poor condition, and the fact that it had no trucks, we took a pass. My guess is that the caboose eventually deteriorated into nothingness.

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, Indiana)

Back in the mid-1960's, I refurbished an Oswego-built NYC caboose, 19654 (later sold to the owner of Wheaton Glass in South Jersey).

This caboose was originally painted tan above the window sills, and a dark red/brown below (possibly the standard "freight car brown" used by NYC and others). There was no evidence on this caboose (or any other NYC 19XXX series caboose I have seen) that the interior had ever been maintained with a "natural" finish.

Because the original "tan" wasn't available, I had taken the liberty of using a light gray (referred to by NYC as "Century Cream" IIRC), since all the paint for this project was furnished by the NYC!

BTW, I wonder if 19654 still exists??

Reply to Paul, Thanks for the input on our # 19509 caboose. The tan is what I found on the walls above bottom of windows, however it was clear coated over ( most likely shellac) which is iron clad. The spring time paint scheme will be "TAN". Thanks for the constructive criticism Paul. ill check on # 19654 . Nice to communicate with people who have been there done that. thanks again.
Bruce